Marvelous Benedict Cumberbatch

So Benedict Cumberbatch has been hanging around Marvel since late last year, prompting a lot of talk about what he’s doing and the inevitability of his involvement with one of their properties. The natural assumption—mine included—was that he would play Dr. Strange. Because if Cumberbatch was ever going to go superhero, it would have to be the guy called Strange.

But the Dr. Strange movie, in development for the last couple years, is not the one generating rumors from Marvel. No, that goes to Edgar Wright’s long-gestating Ant Man (yeah I don’t even want to talk about how lame that character is, but suffice it to say, his code name is ANT MAN) project. Wright’s been hinting to the Twitter that things are moving along on that front, even as he prepares to shoot a third feature with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost later this year. And there’s talk out of Cannes that Ant Man: The Movie has been greenlit in the wake of The Avengers dumping lots of coin into Marvel coffers.

Marvel has gone on record stating that they intend to make two as-yet-unknown Avenger movies in the next few years. They’re aiming for 2 movies per year, with Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 due next year, and Captain America 2 and one of the newbies in 2014, The Avengers 2 and the second new title in 2015. I think some combination of a Black Widow/Hawkeye/SHIELD movie will happen, and the other new title, well, it’s kind of looking like Ant Man. That unannounced 2014 release date fits with a shooting schedule in 2013 to accommodate Wright doing his Pegg/Frost movie first.

Benedict Cumberbatch…Ant Man?

Ugh.

Here’s Cumberbatch visiting Marvel last week with his Sherlock producers. WTF is he wearing? Grandpa couture?